Heads of lettuce, but then only vertical. That is what a couple of Danish growers are working on. The three men, Sune Rasmussen, Henrik Rasmussen and Brian Nørskov have developed a new cultivation method. Due to an increasing lack of space and clean water on earth, it just could become the future way of cultivation.
"We can grow 50 to 60 percent more because we grow vertically," says Sune Rasmussen about the 18,000 heads of lettuce currently growing in the greenhouse.
Soon the first heads will be harvested for the Danish market and in a few weeks, the production will be further increased when more heads can be harvested.
Pyramid shape
At Wellfarmed, however, they look much further than the long rows of green lettuce, because the three growers do not just want to sell lettuce. They also want to sell their system and knowledge in this area and that can be a smart move now that the climate is the most important topic worldwide for many media and political debates.
It is not new to grow vegetables vertically instead of horizontally, but the idea of combining the methods and growing them in a pyramid shape fits in many places. It was the growers’ own idea of growing the vegetables in a tower.
Nørskov: “It is conceivable to grow in all possible places. In Denmark, for example, there are many abandoned farms with barns that can be converted into small horticultural companies. We can adjust our production system so that it fits into buildings that would otherwise be vacant. That way it is feasible. There is a major revolution going on in this area and it is a way to guarantee future food production for a growing population."
Source: skivefolkeblad.dk